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This paper examines the role of interest in learning and career development. It is based on the view that one's interest is a major factor in educational achievement. Moreover, interest continues to play a substantial role in career throughout the life span. Interest is related to work adjustment and is a key feature of job satisfaction for many individuals. Most people would be prepared to acknowledge that interest is important for learning and working, yet they may not have a clear understanding of the extent of that influence or the extent to which it is able to be expressed. There is enough evidence to suggest that course offerings in secondary schools are widespread (well over 300 courses) but not focused. An important issue is to what extent courses should reflect the world of work - there is an argument that education should be quarantined from this function. Ultimately it is a policy question about the nature and purpose of education. Show less

This newsletter, published by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) contains the latest information and research results in areas such as teaching and learning, professional development, educational resources and programs, conferences, workshops and new ACER publications. Show less

This report is the culmination of a project carried out for the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE). The main findings of this report are based on the outcomes from the National Research Student Survey (NRSS) conducted in June 2010 across 38 of the 39 universities in Australia. In total 11,710 Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students responded to the NRSS, providing a 25.5 per cent response rate across the country. These response numbers represent the largest collection of survey responses from research students ever undertaken in Australia. The report primarily explores the career intentions and motivations of these students. It provides particular emphasis on the interests of HDR students in following an academic career on completion of their degree and the support they have received in terms of preparation for university teaching during their candidature.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

[This report] was undertaken by [the Australian Council for Educational Research] ACER for The Smith Family to extend the findings of its report released in 2006 entitled ‘On track?: students choosing a career’ [indexed at TD/TNC 85.19], which identified uncertainties about how and to what extent family expectations shape young people’s educational plans, in particular their plans for transition from school to tertiary education, training or work. Narrative oriented interviews aimed to enhance the survey findings of ‘On track?’ by exploring young people’s stories in depth. On advice from The Smith Family, 10 ‘achievers’ from the Learning for Life program were interviewed and also nine of their family members (seven mothers, one father and one older sibling). An ‘achiever’ was defined as a young person who had made a positive start towards achieving post-school goals. This might be a pathway from Year 12 to university, or from Year 10 to an apprenticeship or ongoing employment. A review of the research literature was conducted. It focused on the effects and influences of family expectations on the cost-benefit analyses undertaken by students when they are considering their post-school plans. Data from interviews with young people and their family members supported the main findings of the research literature. The combined impression from the research literature and the stories of the young people interviewed for this study is that families are closely involved in their children’s decision-making about post-school options.

Excerpt from published executive summary reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The 2008 Graduate Pathways Survey was designed to gain information on employment outcomes five years after completing a bachelor degree, how these changed from graduates' initial outcomes, the pathways taken and the factors that influence outcomes. 9,238 graduates from all Table A higher education providers (with one exception) as well as Bond University and the University of Notre Dame participated in the survey. The 2008 Graduate Pathways Survey was the first national study of its kind in Australia. The key findings were that: (1) graduates can take a few years to establish their careers: the rate of participation in paid work among graduates rose from 84% to 91% between the first and fifth year following graduation; (2) at the national level, the median graduate salary rose from $38,000 to $60,000 in the first five years post-graduation - a 58% increase; (3) graduate outcomes and pathways varied for different fields of education, with some graduates taking longer to settle into their careers; and (4) graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds achieved outcomes on par with the general graduate population.

Published abstract from DEEWR website. Show less

This report investigates the relationship between post-school plans, family background and having a lifelong learning orientation. It highlights the important role of vocational education and training such as TAFE as an alternative for students with no plans to study at university. Data was drawn from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Youth (LSAY) and the OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). The study investigated the post-school plans of young people, with a particular interest in those from families of low socioeconomic background, the factors associated with the development of these plans, and the association between types of post-school plans and predispositions towards lifelong learning. The study suggests that the most important factors for predicting post-school plans are gender, ability and the vocational orientation of the student. An orientation to lifelong learning also has an effect but, according to the LSAY data, only a small one. According to the findings, financial disadvantage is not a barrier to post-school study when students choose to study at TAFE or to pursue other vocational options. Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds were found to be more likely to realise their plans for tertiary education when those plans do not initially involve attending university. Four guiding principles for policy development are proposed: (1) the establishment of a national youth mentoring strategy to enhance support provided to young people by families, communities and schools to enable them to make successful choices about their future employment and/or study; (2) government funding to support schools to develop more diverse and flexible pathways into work and/or post-school education to improve outcomes for all students; (3) incentives for businesses to work with schools and tertiary institutions to provide increased opportunities for mentoring and more effective career counselling to ensure that students are better prepared to make choices about post-school work and study; and (4) improved family and community support systems to better support students’ transition from school to work and the development of positive attitudes towards lifelong learning. Show less

This newsletter is published three times a year by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and contains the latest information and research results in areas such as teaching and learning, professional development, educational resources and programs, conferences, workshops and new ACER publications. This issue highlights the results of an ACER study commissioned by the Enterprise & Career Education Foundation (ECEF) into the expansion of school-industry programs in Australian secondary schools. The final report, 'Witnessing evolution: a report on the growth of workplace learning in Australian schools to 1999' is indexed at TD/TNC 67.141. Also featured is research findings from a recent ACER study that documented the education, training and work experiences of a sample of young people both with and without tertiary qualification in their first seven years after leaving school in the late 1980s. The research reveals that those with a tertiary qualification had less difficulty in making a successful transition to work. The two reports containing the findings of this research are indexed at TD/TNC 67.142 and TD/TNC 67.143. Show less

This article reports on the findings and implications of a report that investigated the educational and occupational plans of junior secondary students. The study, conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) for The Smith Family, surveyed more than 3000 financially disadvantaged students in Years 8 and 9 who are participating in The Smith Family's 'Learning for life program'. The study investigates the plans and aspirations of these young people and factors associated with these plans, and the accuracy of their understandings about pathways from education to work. The study revealed that these students were beginning to identify areas of work that they like and the pathways required, but that many did not properly understand these routes. It also indicated a mismatch between what these students would like to do and the availability of corresponding jobs in the labour market.

The full report, 'What do students think of work?: junior secondary school students' perceptions of the world of work', is indexed at TD/TNC 81.202. Show less

This report focuses on the current crisis in science education in Australia. It focuses on the teaching of science in schools, in particular primary schools, and advances the need for change to ensure children are encouraged to develop not only science literacy skills for life but also to pursue careers in the science and technology sectors. Failure to inspire children at a young age is impacting on Australia’s ‘science crisis’ and having long term effects, including a shortage of skilled science professionals in the workplace. It is contended that a ‘re-imaging’ is needed, not just changes to curriculum and assessment, to improve science education. The ‘re-imaging’ needs to include teacher education, for practising teachers, who need support for taking on new ways of teaching, and for trainee teachers. The report looks at societal changes and their impact on science education. Student participation in post-compulsory science education is considered, as is the demand for teachers of science. Show less

This special issue is entitled 'Narrative career counselling: A tension between potential, popular appeal, and proof' and is guest edited by Mary McMahon. Narrative career counselling is becoming ubiquitous as its inherent appeal has seen it become more widely adopted in practice. A tension between its potential, popular appeal and proof has emerged. It is over 40 years since the need for a change in direction in theory and practice was first flagged, and it is timely to reflect on the past, present and future stories of narrative career counselling. This special issue includes several contributions and a case study that add to the discussion, including: Advancing a cross-cultural narrative approach to career counselling: the case of Vietnam / Lan Thi Nguyen, Matthew McDonald and Susan Mate (pages 65-71); Dual-career couple counselling: An elaboration of life-design paradigm / Michael E. Hall (pages 72-80); Leadership as the construction of one's own story / Barbara Smorczewska (pages 81-87); The role of imagination in emergent career agency / Heidi Muijen, Reinekke Lengelle, Frans Meijers and Wim Wardekker (pages 88-98); Narrative career therapy: from the problem-saturated story to a preferred story and career path / Tali Shefer (pages 99-107); How can creative practice facilitate reflection on self-learning?: implications for narrative career counselling / Laura Brammar and Katarina Lezova (pages 108-115).

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less